Kau Cim, Chinese Fortune Sticks, 1845
Kau Cim is a fortune telling practice that originated in China in which the querent requests answers from a sacred oracle lot. The practice is often performed in a Taoist or Buddhist temple in front of an altar. The prediction begins with the cup storing a number of the sticks. The shaking of the cylinder, which is usually tipped slightly downward, results in at least one stick leaving the cylinder and being dropped onto the floor. Each stick, with its designated number, represents one answer. When a single stick falls out, the number will correspond to one of the hundred written oracles with an answer on it. The writing on the piece of paper will provide an answer to the question. Answers can be interpreted by a temple priest or volunteers or can be self-interpreted by the querent. Image appeared in "China Illustrated" by Thomas Allom, 1845.
Size: 4500px × 3042px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1840s, 1845, 19th, allom, altar, ancient, antiquity, art, artwork, asian, buddhism, buddhist, bw, century, chi, chien, chim, china, chinese, cim, drawing, fate, fortune, fortune-telling, fortunetelling, historic, historical, history, illustration, kau, kuan, lottery, men, monk, mysticism, occult, occultism, oracle, poetry, pseudo-science, pseudoscience, science, sticks, taoism, taoist, telling, thomas, tung, yin
